B&M retailing is out dated.... and now they want to charge you for it!

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

Just read an interesting article about retailers charging consumer fees for trying on or getting advice on their wares. Although this ridiculous fee is generally refundable if you go ahead and purchase from the store – who on earth wants to be subjected to that?

This is apparently a mechanism to compete against online shopping channels. Well really? Are we on the same planet? I am a consumer, I want to shop around and I am price conscious and the first thing you tell me is that I need to pay for your advice or to try a product? Sorry, not going to work for me, or many others.

Isn't the primary purpose of old fashioned 'bricks and mortar' retailing to invite customers in, let them touch and feel your wares, give them advice and quality customer service? Why then, are you running against this and putting your potential customers off side from the moment they enter your store? It doesn't make sense. Are you just getting mad about losing profits to online retailers?

Here's some advice. Get with the times. People buy online. They like it, it's easier, they still get great customer service, they generally get a better price – and most of all they won't get charged a fee for traipsing around an online store, checking out products, gathering information and then deciding not to buy on that day. 

As retailers we are there to serve the customer; customer service is the key priority in creating growth and long term sustainability. I don't care how fancy you think you are, the customer should be at the top of your business hierarchy, you are there to serve them, they pay you.

So, what's actually happening out there in retail world?

Interesting statistics for online shopping from News.com / Daily Telegraph:

In the past 12 months would you say you have bought:More goods and services online: 63.9%
Fewer goods and services online: 6.9%
About the same amount of goods and services online: 22.5%
I don’t buy goods and services online: 6.7%
What is the most appealing aspect of shopping online?It's cheaper: 49.1%
It's quicker: 8.6%
I can shop when I want: 24.9%
Better variety: 11%
Shopping online does not appeal to me: 6.4%
Have you ever tried a product in a retail store only to then buy it online for less?Yes: 61.7%
No: 38.3%
If you answered yes to the previous question, how often have you done it?Once 10.7%
Twice 16.2%
Three times 16.8%
Four times 9.5%
5-10 times 29.2%
11-20 times 6.4%
More than 20 times 11.3%

Essentially, more and more people are shopping online because it's cheaper and more convenient; online the consumer is in control or the entire shopping experience and they like it. Personally, I frequently use retail stores to gather information and then I purchase online. Here in NZ I can walk into a major department store like Farmer's, click on a bar code of any product and use my smart phone app 'Shop Savvy' (http//:shopsavvy.mobi) to compare prices around the world in an instant. Then I go home, do my research on the product and then from the comfort of my lounge room, I buy what I want, in my own time, online. No pushy sales assistants trying hard to meet their quota or trying to up sell at every opportunity – this is my decision, I shop for me.

Old fashioned 'bricks and mortar' retailers, need to take note: put someone younger, or at the very least tech savy in a position where they can give you advice and stop sticking your head in the sand. Online retail is only going to get bigger from here.

Come and shop online at www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz, browse around, take your time to check everything out – I promise we don't charge ludicrous fees for being available 24/7, and you don't even have to say thank you on your way out. At Maison Luxury Home and Lifestyle, shopping is all about You!

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www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

0800 001 479

PO Box 27095,

Christchurch NZ 8640

Go on....Live a Little

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

Years ago I read one of those emails that people like to forward - it was a letter, written by an older lady talking about the things she wished she had done. I liked it and I try to live by it - I don't care if it was fake!

I try to make everyday worthwhile and this includes making the most of everything I have. I use my good dinner set, I wear my favourite perfume, I like to dress up.... why not? If you knew that tomorrow would be your last day, why not make today special? Try to indulge, make yourself happy, care for your mind and your body.

Try burning soothing candles of an evening, fill your home with fresh fragrance during the day, relax in a warm bath filled with luxurious foam and essential oils to smooth your skin and soothe your soul. Wrap yourself in nourishing body milk.... breathe, live, love.

Have a great weekend!

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

0800 001 479

PO Box 27095,

Christchurch NZ 8640

Trials and Tribulations of Online Retailing

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

In my first year of university I wrote my assignments by hand, until a rather stern lecturer advised me to either buy a typewriter or get a 'word processor' - something to do with my messy handwriting I suspect. So, I went all out and bought a computer, it cost me three and a half thousand dollars and it did little more than basic word processing anyway.... Then suddenly it seemed everyone had a computer and they got cheaper, faster and smaller. And this happened amazingly fast. Then the internet was invented - I have tried to explain the world-with-no-internet concept to my son many times but he can't comprehend it. And then, suddenly it seemed you could get pretty much anything you needed online - from buying your groceries, to moving currency, to reading the news, or flicking through your favourite magazine.

So when I look back at how much things have changed it's quite phenomenal. Now the world is right at our fingertips - literally! I love shopping online; it's easy, comfortable, there are no crowds, it's instant, you don't have to trail people in shopping centre parking stations in order to find a car park and screaming children can be sent to their room. I can do it when I like, no rushing to beat store closing times and I get a sense of excitement when my order arrives at home - like getting a little present!

However, even though the world has changed and we can access products from around the world from the comfort of our lounge room - apparently some people out there are still sceptical and hesitant to purchase online. Why!? Why I ask - it's so easy.... go on, just try it once and see for yourself. No one is going to steal your life, or find out the code for your home alarm or know how much money you have in your bank account. You don't need to make a little tin foil hat to wear for fear of someone reading your thoughts. Just be sure to look for sites with the little padlock symbol so you know your credit card transactions will be safe.Or pay by PayPal to keep your payment details even more secure if you're still worried. I firmly believe this is the way of future retailing so you need to keep up - just like I had to stop handwriting assignments, sometimes in life we need to adapt and change with the times. You'll find it's not so bad, in fact, you may even enjoy it!

The other thing I am realising is that some wholesalers are also cautious about selling to retailers who are only online. They want old fashioned 'bricks and mortar' retailing. This doesn't make much sense to me at all - maybe someone can explain it to me? Everything in terms of business structure, management, stock control, processing sales and customer service is the same. Only it's not done face to face. In terms of building or maintaining a brand, a supplier holds the same risks in distributing to a physical store as they would an online store. Selling under RRP is a concern, but I would suggest a bricks and mortar store would be more likely to get away with this - when it's online it's very easy to monitor, plus supply agreements are always available to prevent unauthorised selling of stock.

I look to Net a Porter for inspiration - it's extremely successful, it retails designer brands, and it is only online. We'll get there, I guess it's simply a matter of being persistent.

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

0800 001 479

PO Box 27095,

Christchurch NZ 8640

Bringing a little luxury to New Zealand

I had lived in Melbourne and Sydney before moving to Christchurch, New Zealand. Most people I spoke to before and after the move thought I was completely mad for moving to a city recently devastated by earthquake, however, for me and my family it was an easy decision - Christchurch is my husband's home town and watching the earthquakes from a distance was heart breaking. We packed up everything we owned, sold our cars, bundled the little ones onto a plane - and here we are.

One of the things I noticed after moving was that many of the things I took for granted in the buzzing metropolis of Sydney were simply not available here.Yes Christchurch has one Westfield, but it is nothing like the Westfield at Bondi in Sydney with Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton and Chanel - and there is no equivalent to Paddington's Oxford Street filled with designer and quirky boutiques or Melbourne's Chapel Street. Christchurch is definitely more laid back!

So, I reconciled with myself, fashion shopping can be done on trips abroad (and there's always Net-a-Porter) but what about those home and everyday living consumables that I was used to having at my fingertips? My home is my sanctuary, the place where regardless of what's happening outside or how busy life gets, I can create a sense of bliss and calm. Back in Australia, I liked to have luxury candles burning to fill my home with gorgeous fragrances and to create an ambiance to suit my mood. There is nothing like slipping into a deep bath with soothing bath oils or salts by candle light to enjoy a glass of champagne...that is my idea of absolute heaven.

Whilst we unpacked our container and settled into a house - I got used to (am getting used to) the experience of aftershocks, and the boys started school. Life got moving again. However, as much as I searched, I couldn't find the candles I wanted for my home, or the luxury bath and body products I was used to. The places in Australia stocking what I wanted don't ship to New Zealand, I looked online in the US and investigated using a 3rd party shipping company to purchase there, however, it was all a hassle and I could sense disaster. So I came up with a better solution.

Luckily for me, my clever husband is a computer whiz and was able to create a website or me (www.evolutionweb.co.nz) so I could start my own online store and bring some of those luxury products I was missing to New Zealand.We looked at the option of a physical retail store, however, for obvious reasons, it was not the right time or place to start this type of venture in Christchurch. Plus, the benefit of retailing online means that no matter where in this fabulous country you live, you can have access too.

Maison Luxury Home and Lifestyle was born! The website is progressing, we are adding our stock and still confirming suppliers to ensure we have only the most luxe high end products available. Everything listed on Maison Luxury Home and Lifestyle reflects the minimum quality and level of luxury that I expect to have in my home and I am delighted to be sharing these beautiful things with the rest of New Zealand.

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz for luxury candles, home fragrances, bath and body products, natural baby care and stunning homewares - all coming soon!

www.maisonluxuryhome.co.nz

0800 001 479

PO Box 27095,

Christchurch NZ 8640